JK Rowling: Harry Potter author under fire for ‘transphobia’ over comments

JK Rowling has become the centre of a social media storm again after comparing transgender hormone replacement to gay conversion therapy.

Controversial author JK Rowling has come under fire for transphobia again after commenting that transgender hormone therapy is “a new kind of conversion therapy” for young gay people.

Rowling also aired unfounded claims that young people struggling with their mental health undergo such therapy “when it may not be in their best interests”.

It comes just weeks after the Harry Potter author was called out for spreading “anti-trans misinformation” when she criticised the use of the phrase “people who menstruate”.

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On Sunday, a Twitter user claimed Rowling was at it again, sharing screenshots that claimed she had liked a tweet comparing hormone prescriptions to antidepressants.

The tweet read: “Yes they are sometimes necessary and lifesaving, but they should be a last resort. Pure laziness for those who would rather medicate than put in the time and effort to heal people’s minds.”

Attempting to clarify her position, Rowling then used 11 tweets to discuss mental health and the transgender community, stating her concerns surrounding hormone therapy.

JK Rowling has been accused of airing her “transphobic” views on Twitter again. Picture: AP.

Rowling wrote that she had used antidepressants herself to combat “OCD, depression and anxiety”, before adding, without any sources, that “health professionals are concerned that young people struggling with their mental health are being shunted towards hormones and surgery when this may not be in their best interests”.

She went on to compare hormone therapy, which trans people undergo to align their bodies more closely with their gender identity, to gay conversion therapy.

Gay conversion therapy refers to the discredited practice of trying to change sexual orientation using psychological or spiritual means.

Rowling tweeted: “Many, myself included, believe we are watching a new kind of conversion therapy for young gay people, who are being set on a lifelong path of medicalisation that may result in the loss of their fertility and/or full sexual function.”

The author has made several controversial comments about transgender women in the past. Picture: AFP.

She continued: “As I’ve said many times, transition may be the answer for some. For others, it won’t – witness the accounts of detransitioners.”

Rowling then posted a link to an account of a woman who has “detransitioned” after briefly living as a trans man.

Many health professionals are concerned that young people struggling with their mental health are being shunted towards hormones and surgery when this may not be in their best interests. 4/11

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 5, 2020

Responding to the tweets, transgender model and activist Munroe Bergdorf slammed Rowling as “dangerous” and a “threat to LGBT people”.

“Mark my words. JK Rowling is dangerous and poses threat to LGBT people,” Bergdorf wrote.

“Trans healthcare is not conversion therapy. This is INSANE.”

In a separate tweet she added: “JK Rowling is not a scientist. She is not a doctor. She is not an expert on gender. She is not a supporter of our community.

“She is a billionaire, cisgender, heterosexual, white woman who has decided that she knows what is best for us and our bodies. This is not her fight.”

J.K. Rowling is not a scientist. She is not a doctor. She is not an expert on gender. She is not a supporter of our community.

She is a billionaire, cisgender, heterosexual, white woman who has decided that she knows what is best for us and our bodies. This is not her fight.

— Protect Trans Kids / BLM ✊🏾 (@MunroeBergdorf) July 5, 2020

Others slammed the Harry Potter icon for her views:

Just to be clear: @jk_rowling comparing hormone therapy to conversion therapy betrays a glaring ignorance of not only hormone therapy and conversation therapy but per usual: what it means to be transgender and fight for access to life-saving medical treatment.

— Charlotte Clymer 🏳️‍🌈 (@cmclymer) July 6, 2020

so jk rowling is openly transphobic and homophobic, stops following people who supports trans rights, blocks people who are trying to educate her and believes in conversion theraphy which only traumatizes young lgbtq+ people. how many reasons do you need to stop supporting her?

— victoire (@siriusclaw) July 6, 2020

reporter: now that you are billionaire author what would you like to do? relax on island? create more art? help others?@jk_rowling: actually going to spend time attacking a marginalized group, invalidate their identity and constantly say i know their bodies better than they do

— Chuck Tingle (@ChuckTingle) July 5, 2020

I find it rather sinister that @jk_rowling vomits her #transphobia from under the covers of kids art. Meaning; she posts endless pics of kids art, stops to lob an anti-#trans tweet and then, quick as a flash, dives back to the safety of tweeting more kids art. #wrong #bizarre

— Anthony Watson (@AnthonyWatson) July 5, 2020

I am Trans and I feel attacked and abused by @jk_rowling comments. If the hurt she has caused is unintentional then an apology for her behaviour is the first step. https://t.co/xtbtFuVh2m

— Tina Cordon (@CordonTina) July 6, 2020

Last month, JK Rowling faced widespread backlash after similarly posting a series of tweets about sex and gender.

The criticism started after the Harry Potter author called out the use of the phrase “people who menstruate” by sharing an op-ed article with that wording on Twitter.

‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?

Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate https://t.co/cVpZxG7gaA

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2020

After receiving fierce backlash for the tweet, Rowling doubled down on her stance and pushed back against accusations of transphobia.

She claimed she has been “empathetic to trans people for decades” and called accusations that she hates transgender people “nonsense”.

Penning a lengthy essay on her website, Rowling defended her right to speak about trans issues, explaining the complex reasons for her interest in the subject and revealing painful details about her past abuse.

Her controversial comments on gender identity triggered a number of Harry Potter actors speaking out against her.